Just about a week ago, Busher announced a new law to amend the DMCA that would permit consumers to make personal backups of their digital content; even if protected. Now the US Government is considering to allow consumers to make personal copies of their own DVDs. John T. Doolittle a bill co-sponsor who originally voted for the DMCA did not realise the restrictions it would impose on his purchased music; now owning an Apple iPod.
However as already reported, the entertainment industry claims that making the DMCA less strict would cripple the multi-billion-dollar entertainment industry as well as cost jobs and kill off creativity. However this is pretty much the same argument they had with the introduction of the VCR! The music industry claims it is almost
impossible to differentiate between a pirate and one who legally
purchases. Womble used our news submit to submit the following news:
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The momentum for the idea is coming from the House Energy and Commerce Committee's subcommittee on commerce, trade and consumer protection which wants a liberalisation of the millennium copyright act. John T. Doolittle (no really) one of the bill's co-sponsors, waved his Apple iPod at the committee members to make the point that when he voted for the DMCA in 1998 he didn't realise that it would restrict his rights to make use of music he had legally purchased. Rick Boucher, with 15 members from both parties, is sponsoring a bill to loosen DMCA restrictions and said that the rights of individuals had been eroded. |
With government support on Busher's Bill, this will help promote it and give it a better chance of being implemented. While the entertainment industry claims piracy will destroy creativity, this will not happen with music as there are many artists who write music for non-profit. Take for example the 1.7 million free singles that were hosted at MP3.com before its closure. While most of it may not be popular or well known bands, it goes to show that artists are willing to write music without getting support or involved with the greedy music industry.
Source: The Inquirer
